Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children may inherit royal titles
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children, Archie and Lilibet, are now entitled to inherit royal titles after Queen Elizabeth II’s death — unless the new King Charles III decides otherwise.
The Sussexes’ son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, 3, and his 15-month-old sister, Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, can now be referred to as prince and princess.
Under the rejiggered order of succession following the monarch’s death and King Charles III’s accession, the young royals, who live with their parents in California, are now sixth and seventh in line for the British throne.
They are preceded by their uncle Prince William’s three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
The siblings are entitled to the regal titles under rules put in place by King George V, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandfather, in 1917.
The edict states that all grandchildren of the sovereign are able to style themselves as “His Royal Highness” or “Her Royal Highness” and be referred to as prince or princess, if they so choose.
However, Markle claimed during her infamous bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 that her son had been denied the title of prince, before she and Harry decided to step away from their roles as senior members of the royal family.
When asked if the title was important to her, the former “Suits” star said she cared little for the “grandeur” of royal nomenclature, and that to her, “Mom” was her most important title.
Markle and Prince Harry stopped using their own HRH styles after splitting from the royal family and moving to the US.
At the same time, Markle said “the idea of the first member of color in this family not being titled in the same way that other grandchildren” — and being denied the security that came with it — was a source of concern to her.
Earlier this year, it was reported that then-Prince Charles — now King Charles III — told Harry that he wanted to change what is known as a Letters Patent, preventing his grandchildren from inheriting the titles of prince and princess as part of a plan to slim down the monarchy, reported DailyMail.com.